Friday 28 February 2014

Spotlight - Sherilee Gray + Giveaway



Hi everyone,

Today we have the lovely Sherilee Gray visiting. Sherilee’s novella - Lone Wolf’s Captive has just been released by Escape Publishing.

Welcome Sherilee and thanks for stopping by for a chat. J

 

What type of romance do you write?

 

I write paranormal romance, but have been known to dabble with contemporary.

 

 

What comes first, the plot or characters?

 

Characters always come first for me, usually the hero, and because my heroes are usually deeply scarred in some way, I have to then work out what made this completely messed up character the way they are. The plot usually follows.

 

 

Are you working on anything at the present?

 

I’m editing By the Tail, a category length, shifter suspense story. This one with big cats. Then it’s on to editing the rough draft of A Wolf’s Deception, the story that comes after Lone Wolf’s Captive, and features Gage, a character that made a small appearance near the end of the book.

 

 

How long have you been writing?

 

Since April 2009! So nearly five years!

 

 

What advice would you give an aspiring author?

 

Write as often as you can. Research, read a lot, and work on your craft. Read blogs and books on writing, but only take what works for you! And most importantly, don’t give up.



 

Lone Wolf’s Captive


He let her father chase him off once, but this time nothing is getting in his way.

Fletcher Stone was forced out of the pack life, and now he makes his living as a hired thug, living day-to-day without honour or commitments. Shame over his choices and his lifestyle keep him from returning to the pack to claim Delaney — the woman who holds his heart. But when a rival pack hires him to kidnap her, Fletcher takes his chance. Now he must convince her that he never wanted to leave…and reveal a betrayal that will break her heart.
Delaney Jones has spent the last five years convinced the man she loves is dead. Nothing else would keep him from her. So when Fletcher shows up, whole, healthy, and very much alive, she’s devastated — and pissed off. He broke her heart once and he's never going to get close enough to do it again.
 
A Snippet:
 
He kept staring her, like he was trying to figure something out, or more likely figure her out, and that pissed her off even more.
Finally he said, “You wanna watch a movie?”
She was momentarily stunned into silence. “Do I what?”
He shrugged. “A movie.” He went to stand in front of a large shelf built into the wall. “I’ve got action, action or action? Sorry, no chick flicks,” he said over his shoulder.
She stared at his back in disbelief. “Are you shitting me?”
“Nope. I hate that cheesy shit.” He pulled a DVD from the shelf.
Had he always been this irritating? A throb started at her temples. “You expect me to just sit here and watch a movie with you?”
He shrugged again. “I’m in the mood. Die Hard, Lethal Weapon or Commando?”
What the hell?

 
“I’m not watching a goddamned movie with you, Fletcher.” Her voice sounded shrill to her own ears, and she was more than a little pleased when he winced. “Cut the bullshit and tell me what’s going on.”
His light mood evaporated. “I will. I’ll tell you everything. When you’re ready to hear it.”
Pig-headed, arrogant, egotistical bastard!
She knew the stubborn expression on his face, had seen it many times before. It was useless arguing with him when he was like this. So instead, she crossed her arms over her chest, wishing the eyeball daggers she was shooting his way had the ability to pierce skin.
He grinned. Grinned.
Utter, complete bastard!
 
Sherilee Gray’s always had a big (some may say warped) imagination, and as a kid scared herself conjuring up tales full of terrifying creatures. All grown up, she still has the big imagination and monsters in her stories… only now they’re chasing their happily ever after. Based in beautiful New Zealand with her extremely supportive husband and their two children, she spends her time writing, hoarding books, and eating copious amounts of chocolate.
 
There’s a $30 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway up for grabs – check out the rafflecopter below!

As always, thanks so much for dropping by!


 


Nicóle  xx
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday 25 February 2014

Inspiration No. 2



 
Hi everyone,

So I’m musing about inspiration again. I’m just over half way through writing my latest medieval fairytale. My Wolven Heart is the second in the Hearthfire Series. This story is all about Mariella, who is the eldest of the Ruebana sisters.

 

My Wolven Heart – Hearthfire Series Book 2

Forced into a marriage she never wanted. Mariella finds herself in a dark and mysterious world. The village of Darcel Holt is hidden in the heart of a deep wood. It is steeped in misery, slavery and fur. As Mariella unravels the secrets of the village she must ask herself... Who is truly the monster - Mariella’s new husband or the enigmatic stranger in the forest?

Prince Navarre Trevoré must fight to free his people from their bound slavery. He has no time to dally with a mortal – particularly the wife of his sworn enemy. But Mariella’s kindness touches his heart and her soulful eyes haunt his dreams and cause him to entertain thoughts that he never should have.

 



I love this fairytale world. In the last story – Black is the Colour it was all about ravens. In My Wolven heart it’s all wolves (which was pretty obvious from the title!) It was inspired by deep dark forests, Red Riding Hood and Hans My Hedgehog (one of my favourite fairytales).



 
The extract below comes from the moral at the end of Perrault’s version of Red Riding Hood.
 
...But, above all, those growing ladies fair,
Whose orient rosy blooms begin t’appear:
Who, beauties in the fragrant Spring of age!
With pretty airs young hearts are apt t’engage.
Ill do they listen to all sorts of tongues,
Since some enchant and lure like sirens’ songs.
It is no wonder then if, overpowered,
So many of them has the Wolf devoured.
The Wolf, I say, for wolves be sure there are
Of every sort and every character...
 
                                                                                     From Little Red Riding-Hood - Charles Perrault
 
Part of me doesn’t want to leave this one, I want to stay with the wolves in the forest with the scent of pines in the crisp air. The other part of me wants to finish the tale so I can start the third book, which will be about the last Ruebana sister – Elisabetta.
 
Thanks for stopping by.
Nicóle xx
Images from Fotolia


Bewitching Blurbs



Hi everyone,

Sorry about missing a post last week. Time got away from me, as I’m pushing myself to finish my latest story.

Anyway, here’s another edition of Bewitching Blurbs.

Nicóle  xx
 

 
 
Melt My Heart
 
By
Rachael Cross, Nicole Flockton, Debra Kayn and Holley Trent.
 
Melt My Heart Sometimes Cupid works in mysterious ways. This diverse collection of Valentine tales proves that love can be found when you least expect it and in the least likely places … A farmer, a doctor, a biker, and a werewolf all get struck by the love god’s arrows in this sweet and super-sexy anthology.

Bloom by Rachel Cross
When L.A.’s charity fundraising maven Ava Bennett heads o...more
Sometimes Cupid works in mysterious ways. This diverse collection of Valentine tales proves that love can be found when you least expect it and in the least likely places … A farmer, a doctor, a biker, and a werewolf all get struck by the love god’s arrows in this sweet and super-sexy anthology.

Bloom by Rachel Cross
When L.A.’s charity fundraising maven Ava Bennett heads out to the middle of nowhere to check on a friend of her rock star client, she’s shocked to discover the surly farmer she meets is actually Nathaniel Robinson. Once an infamous music producer, Nate traded in his fast-paced lifestyle for sanity—and now lives off the grid as a small organic farmer. Can a career woman find love with a virtual hermit?

Laying Down His Colors by Debra Kayn
A year ago on Valentine’s Day, Kristen Mead had a night she can’t forget with Bruce Grennan. But the Bantorus Motorcycle Club member and Cactus Cove bartender has ignored her ever since. As a Club kid, she knows the golden rule: you never mess with a fellow member’s daughter. But she’s all grown up, and ready to stake a claim on her man. Will he risk everything—including the respect of his brothers—to make Kristin his?

Trapped by Cupid by Nicole Flockton
Nurse Lisa Wheeler wouldn’t mind getting swept off her feet this Valentine’s Day, but it seems Cupid’s arrow has passed her by. Instead, she’s stuck working the late shift with arrogant Dr. Noah Collins. But when this couple gets stuck in a stalled elevator, it turns out the ER’s golden boy might just have a secret soft side—and Cupid might have better aim than she thought.

A Demoness Matched by Holley Trent
Liberated from a dangerous cult, Julia Tate needs protection from her incubus father. Luckily, her brother Charles, an eros demon, knows just where she can find it: at the home of reclusive former baseball star Calvin Wolff. The mysterious Mr. Wolff is hiding a hairy secret and doesn’t want to let anyone get close, but he’s drawn to this innocent young woman’s enthusiasm. When trouble finds them, they discover a werewolf and a demoness just might make an out-of-this-world match.
 
 
Ask Me To Stay
By Elise K. Ackers
A delightful collection from Elise K. Ackers, author of Small Town Storm and The Man Plan, available for the first time in print.
In Australian country towns, everyone knows everybody else's business. Nothing is private, and escaping the past is difficult if not impossible. But how much of the truth does anyone ever really know, even about those closest to them? 
When family tragedy brings Ethan Foster home, he doesn't expect a warm welcome. In the small town of Hinterdown reputation is everything – and Ethan's was ruined long ago. His family and friends don't want him around, and nor does Sam O'Hara, the girl he left behind.
In this tender and heartwarming romantic trilogy, a funeral, a wedding, and a homecoming spark a series of events that prove that love can find a way, if only given a chance. 
Includes the stories Ask Me to Stay, Ask Me for More and Ask Me for Tomorrow.
 
 
The Sweetest Thing (River Bend)
The Sweetest Thing (River Bend) By Lilian Darcy
 
Tully Morgan hasn’t been back to Marietta for more than a few brief visits since the night of the 1996 senior prom eighteen years ago, when the chance exposure of a long-held family secret sent her running to her uncle in California in shock. She stood up her date Ren Fletcher that night, and she hasn’t seen him since.

Now she’s here for an extended stay, to help take care...more
Tully Morgan hasn’t been back to Marietta for more than a few brief visits since the night of the 1996 senior prom eighteen years ago, when the chance exposure of a long-held family secret sent her running to her uncle in California in shock. She stood up her date Ren Fletcher that night, and she hasn’t seen him since.

Now she’s here for an extended stay, to help take care of her seriously ill mother. It’s an edgy reconciliation, the first time that Tully, Patty and Sugar Morgan have been together since that long ago prom night. Tully has had so much anger toward Sugar… can she ever forgive her?

And Sugar still has one more secret that needs to be dealt with, one that needs Ren Fletcher’s help. Has he forgiven Tully for leaving him in the lurch on prom night? And is there any chance that he and Tully can rekindle what they might once have had, when he’s still tied to someone else?
 
 
 
 

Tuesday 18 February 2014

Bewitching Blurbs



Hi everyone!

It must be Tuesday because here is Bewitching Blurbs.

As always Bewitching Blurbs covers a range of romance sub genres and heat levels.

Enjoy this week’s offerings.

Nicóle xx
 

Almost Dead
By Kaz Delaney

A glitzy whodunit set amongst the Gold Coast elite and a hilarious romance between Macey Pentecost, the privileged teenager with a social conscience who just happens to see ghosts, and the good-looking surf champion Finn.


Macey's life has been turned upside down. Her mother has left, her father is absent and her two best friends (her brother Seth and his girlfriend Willow) are MIA. On top of that Macey is being visited by ghosts who need her help to 'move on'. But as wild as all that sounds, it's all under Macey's control until a rakish, good-looking spirit called Nick turns up ... in her bedroom!

Nick's a spirit with spirit who insists he's not dead, he's astral travelling and has a message for Macey: someone is out to get her. Macey's biting wit has got her in trouble before, so she's not surprised but when the threatening notes start turning up, she's seriously shaken. Does someone want her dead?

It's all rather disturbing but she's finding it hard to focus on who could mean her harm with the annoyingly handsome surf god Finn turning up at the most inopportune times and a father with a rather large surprise of his own.

Is it a case of bad timing? Or are these things somehow connected? And if they are, what on earth should she wear when she's solving the mystery?

 

This is Now
By Maggie Gilbert

A gritty, urban New Adult Cinderella story where the princess can do her own rescuing — she just needs someone to believe in her.

Sister to car thieves, ex-girlfriend to a drug dealer, high school dropout, no-hoper and loser — Jess is on the sidelines, watching her life become one epic fail. Her dreams of university are fading fast, as the people in her life fight to confine her to their own expectations.

Then she meets Sebastien, a gifted cellist from a very different walk of life. Sebastien is clean and strong and talented. He likes and respects her, but he too has expectations. Sebastien seems to think she can do anything, and Jess, despite her fears and the secrets she hides, is starting to believe him.

But just as Jess dares to hope, the secrets in her past and the lies in her present catch up with her. All seems lost and she has to make a choice. Between past and future. Between home and hope. Between now and never. And this is now.





 
Bespelled
By Dani Kristoff
 
This isn't your mum's Bewitched...
Elena Denholm is a mild-mannered half witch. As a favour to her cousin, she agrees to meet with top Sydney lawyer, Jake Royston, to negotiate a property deal. Sparks fly immediately, but before they can even take a sip of wine, let alone explore where the sizzle might go, Jake is hit by a love spell and is helpless against his feelings for Elena.
Jake may be at her mercy, but Elena is keeping her hands off — exploiting humans is a no-no. But Jake’s good looks and powers of persuasion are breaking down her resolve, and Elena knows she must do something fast.
Desperate to set things right before her resolve crumbles, Elena begins a frantic search to find the witch or warlock who hexed Jake and return him to his right mind, even if it means breaking her own heart...

 
 
 
 
The Winter of Magic
By Ebony McKenna
This third enthralling instalment in the young adult fantasy romance series takes a dark turn, as the country of Brugel descends into anarchy.

Mutating magic is spreading across Europe. 'Normals' are developing supernatural powers at a startling rate and 16-year-old Ondine appears to be at the heart of it.

To unravel the mystery, Ondine and her boyfriend (and part-time ferret) Hamish infiltrate CovenCon, a gathering of hundreds of witches presided over by wanna-be-witch-queen Mrs Howser. There, she tempts Ondine with an intriguing offer - but can Mrs Howser be trusted? It transpires the powerful witch has her claws in the arrogant royal heir Lord Vincent, in a covert bid to control all of Brugel.

As dark magic riots break out in the nation's capital, Ondine is left with a heart-breaking choice that could tear her apart from her beloved Hamish. Forever.

The Winter of Magic is the third novel in Ebony McKenna's comedic and wonderfully weird four-part ONDINE series. Fans will devour this spellbinding adventure, which will have readers gasping in shock and laughing with delight. Occasionally at the same time.
 

Captivate
By Vanessa Garden
In a glittering underwater world, nothing is as it seems...

For the past twelve months since her parents’ death, seventeen-year-old Miranda Sun has harboured a dark secret — a secret that has strained the close relationship she once shared with her older sister, Lauren. In an effort to repair this broken bond, Miranda’s grandparents whisk the siblings away on a secluded beach holiday. Except before Miranda gets a chance to confess her life-changing secret, she’s dragged underwater by a mysterious stranger while taking a midnight swim.

Awakening days later, Miranda discovers that she’s being held captive in a glittering underwater city by an arrogant young man named Marko...the King of this underwater civilisation.

Nineteen-year-old Marko intends to marry Miranda in order to keep his crown from falling into the sinister clutches of his half-brother, Damir. There’s only one problem. Miranda is desperate to return home to right things with her sister and she wants nothing to do with Marko. Trying to secure her freedom, Miranda quickly forms an alliance with Robbie — Marko’s personal guard. However, she soon discovers that even underwater, people are hiding dangerous secrets...
 
 
 
What Goes on Tour
By Claire Boston
What goes on tour, stays on tour … or does it?

Few people know that socially awkward Adrian Hart is actually rock god Kent Downer, and that's the way Adrian likes it. His privacy is essential, especially now that he has guardianship of his orphaned, ten-year-old niece, Kate. But when the nanny quits in the middle of his tour Adrian finds himself in a bind.

Until Libby Myles walks into his life.

Libby has only ever wanted to become a full-time author and prove to her parents that she can make it on her own. On the surface, the temporary job as the nanny for Kent Downer's niece looks perfect—the pay is fabulous, the hours are short and Kate is a big fan—it's the rock star that's the issue.

Arrogant and way too attractive for anyone's good, Kent Downer has enough swagger to power a small city. But when he's out of costume he's different—shy and uncertain. For Libby it's a far harder combination to resist. She needs to find a balance between work, writing and ignoring her attraction to the rock star, because if she falls for him, it could mean the end of her dream.

But when a horrible scandal is unleashed—putting young Kate in danger—there's more heat between Libby and Adrian than just sexual attraction. Libby must figure out if Adrian ever cared for her, or if it was all just part of the show …
 
A Tale of Two Sisters
By Vonnie Hughes
Sometimes blackmail has unexpected consequences.
When the two Crichton sisters are invited to a country house party by Sir Giles Everard, the only drawback is the threat of blackmail hanging over their heads. And their Papa can complain all he likes, but his matchmaking schemes are about to go hopelessly awry because there’s another contender waiting in the wings. Nothing is what it seems.
 
 
 
 
Someone Like You
By Victoria Purman
When Lizzie Blake knocks on the door of Dan McSwaine’s beach house at Middle Point, she barely recognises the man who answers. Whatever happened to the guy who swaggered into her home town with a grin and left with her heart in his back pocket? Lizzie wonders if he’ll ever be that man again — and if she should risk everything she’s built her life on to help him.

Dan can’t normally bear to be more than ten minutes from a hip bar, an imported beer and a group of hot women. So what is he doing holed up in a falling down beach shack at Middle Point? All he knows is that he’s made some crazy decisions since the night a truck slammed into his car and almost killed him. The first one was to think that buying a crumbling piece of coastal real estate was a good idea. The second crazy decision was to try to hide away from the world when a woman like Lizzie Blake is determined to drag him right back into it…